Waiting
by honestgrins
Summary: Good things come to those who wait, but patience is not one of my virtues. This drabble series is a product of hiatus doldrums between TVD Seasons 6 and 7. I own nothing, I just wrote certain words in a certain order using established characters.
1. Counseling

**When Whitmore requires Caroline and Bonnie to attend at least one counseling session after Elena's "death," they neglect to mention their preferred coping mechanism - alcohol.**

* * *

"I can't believe this is really happening."

Bonnie smiled into the magazine she was flipping through. "It won't be that bad, Caroline," she answered.

They sent us to a freaking shrink, Bonnie," the blonde vampire exclaimed, bouncing nervously in her seat. She was too keyed up to also take advantage of the magazines piled on the waiting room coffee table.

"Only because you told the Housing office that our roommate passed away," Bonnie pointed out, trying to extinguish the last trace of guilt she felt over her role in Elena's predicament from her voice. "Maybe it will even be a good thing for us. I've literally been to hell and back, so counseling with a licensed professional doesn't sound all that bad."

Caroline, who had been shooting a glare in the witch's general direction, quickly ceded her anger in favor of reluctant acceptance of Bonnie's point. "To be fair," Caroline said, "they were trying to give us a new roommate. Rather than fall back into bad vamp habits and compel the powers that be, I chose the honest route...sort of. And the Whitmore Housing Handbook clearly explained that 'replacing' a deceased roommate with the year was an emotional trauma to avoid."

Bonnie nodded, not looking upset at all. "Emotional trauma, indeed," she said, arching an eyebrow. "Hence the counseling, which I still think will be good for us. I don't see how it can hurt us if we leave out the supernatural bits."

Clenching her hands together, Caroline sighed, "Alright, I'll stop complaining. But I think we'll need a girl's night after this, just booze and each other. Deal?"

"Sounds great," Bonnie agreed with a bright smile. Ever since the wedding and losing Elena, Bonnie had noticed Caroline's natural clinginess increase substantially when it came to spending time together. Not that Bonnie minded; she had deeply missed her friend. Surprising even herself after her forced isolation, Bonnie found that she felt just as clingy with Caroline.

"Bennett and Forbes?"

Caroline shot out of her seat, while Bonnie just looked up to meet the eyes of the receptionist who had called their names. "We're here," Caroline said in an impatient huff.

"Head on back," the receptionist replied, nodding his head toward the main office.

"Let's do this," Caroline said determinedly, reaching out a hand to help Bonnie stand. The blonde's stony expression melted into a smile when Bonnie didn't let go, and they walked hand in hand out of the waiting area.

* * *

Damon was busy sucking down another bottle of bourbon when his phone started buzzing. Though guilt and grief often threatened to swallow him whole, he couldn't help but grin slightly at the name flashing across the screen. "I thought it was 'no boys allowed' tonight," he slurred after answering the call.

"It is," Bonnie said softly, not the giggly girl Damon had been expecting to hear from. "But I don't think we considered just how hard talking about losing her was going to be." She sniffed, trying to hold back the tears in the hope that Damon wouldn't come charging in to save her from feelings. "Caroline ran out to get more gin, something about only drinking Elena's favorites. I probably shouldn't have let her leave, she drank way too much," Bonnie admitted worriedly.

They had held it together after the counseling session as best they could, but by the time they made it to the dorm, they were both sobbing. Adding alcohol had just made everything worse.

Damon frowned, meeting Stefan's eyes as his little brother walked into the study. Clearly having overheard the entire conversation, Stefan nodded and flashed out of the house, presumably to find Caroline. "Stefan will make sure she's okay," Damon said, trying to reassure Bonnie. "I'd offer to come get you, but I probably shouldn't be driving anytime soon."

"You're hitting the bottle, too," Bonnie asked, a slight smile taking over her face. They had a lot of memories sharing some booze together. "Maybe you should have joined the pity party."

"You know I love a party," Damon muttered, hating the memories flashing from the last party he attended. "No psychopaths and their sleeping curses allowed, obviously."

"The counseling was good, Damon," Bonnie whispered hopefully. "We may be a crying, drunk mess now, but the conversation was actually really helpful. The grief will always be a part of us, but Caroline and I talked through some of our guilt and the heartache that comes from Elena being gone."

"You have nothing to feel guilty about, Bon," Damon sighed. He took another swig of bourbon, letting the alcohol burn away his need to admit his own guilt. Feeling the intense need to change the subject, he asked, "You coming home this weekend?"

"If I'm not still sleeping off this hangover," Bonnie snorted. The dark chuckle took her by surprise, the brief humor enough to careen her back to sorrow. "I think I should stick close to Caroline these days, though. Plus, you have another friend who probably needs you now more than ever."

Damon cringed at the indirect mention of Alaric. "Yeah, he's not in a good place," Damon admitted. "But I'm not sure I'm the best guy for the job. I don't know if you know this, but I'm kind of a selfish dick with a distinct lack of empathy."

"Maybe," Bonnie agreed, "but you're also the closest thing to family he has left. That ought to count for something."

"You know," Damon said with a wry smile, "you called me. Why are you trying to get me off the phone?"

Bonnie was quiet for a long moment. "I just needed to hear your voice before I went to sleep," she said hoarsely. "It's easier when Caroline's here, it helps to remind me that I'm not alone anymore. The counselor said it might be due to a tendency of putting others before myself, the security of knowing where they are helps me to relax. Bizarre, right?"

"Then Barbie should know better than to leave you by yourself at night," Damon growled weakly, knowing the witch wouldn't take kindly to any negative light cast on her childhood friend.

"You've been around that girl drunk," Bonnie answered, a smile coming to her face. "She hasn't hit the morose stage yet, so she was practically bouncing off the walls with energy. The walls weren't enough to contain her."

"And you encouraged her to get more booze," Damon asked incredulously.

Bonnie shrugged as she gave into a big yawn. "It's her coping mechanism, something you are definitely familiar with. She needs to grieve, too."

Nodding silently, Damon heard Bonnie's breath slowing down. "Good night, witchy," he said. "Text me in the morning, so I know you didn't give yourself alcohol poisoning by trying to keep up with Blondie."

"Okay, Damon," Bonnie sighed. She slipped deeper into her covers, barely listening to Damon's chuckle at her breathy tone. "Night."

* * *

Stefan had made it to the girl's building as Caroline stumbled toward it, hugging two bottles of gin to her chest while drinking straight from a third.

"Want some help with those," he asked, reaching forward to the unopened bottles.

Caroline squinted, as though she were trying to decide if Stefan was really there or not. "What are you doing here?"

Smiling gently as she relinquished her load, Stefan took hold of the bottles in one arm and left a hand on her lower back. "Bonnie was worried she let you out of the room after all the alcohol you two drank," he explained. "Any reason you were in dire need for more?"

Sighing, Caroline leaned slightly into Stefan's side. She was drunk enough to ignore her own rules of interacting with him in a purely platonic state, but she took another swig to be on the safe side. "I'm sad," she admitted softly. "When I'm sad, I normally binge on junk food. My tastes have been annoyingly blood-lusty, though, so I turned to booze for sublimation." She looked up, pensively staring into Stefan's face. "You should know that, you're the one that taught me."

"You're craving blood," Stefan asked worriedly. He had been doing his best to give her the space she had asked for, but he figured Bonnie and Damon would have let him know if she wasn't faring well. "Are you not feeding regularly?"

"I don't need the concerned boyfriend act, Stefan," Caroline chided, mulishly taking another shot of gin.

He stiffened, the sudden stop in his tread enough to make Caroline spill her drink when she no longer had him to lean onto. "That's not fair, Caroline," he said, his voice hard. "I don't get to be concerned for your well-being? Really?"

Rolling her eyes, Caroline made to keep walking.

Stefan had just gotten started, though. "Damon and Alaric are constantly drowning themselves in alcohol and grief, and Enzo is doing God-knows-what with my mother and her 'family,'" he ranted, putting himself in Caroline's path. "Elena is playing a twisted Sleeping Beauty while Bonnie is wracked with survivor's guilt."

"I don't need the play by play, thanks," Caroline snapped.

"Apparently, you do," Stefan replied, taking a step closer, "because all I see from you is denial and drinking habits to rival Damon's. I'm trying to not be the guy that's in over his head, in love with you, but I thought part of that was still being friends. You know, friends that could tell each other anything. The friends who support each other, no matter what."

Caroline's eyes watered, but she didn't dare to say anything.

"So yeah, I think I get to be worried that you're out wandering for more alcohol to drink away your problems instead of talking about them," Stefan said, winding down.

"Why do you think I started drinking tonight," Caroline asked, tired of not being honest with him. "Bonnie and I had a counseling appointment, to talk about losing Elena. Bonnie is supposed to be dealing with her guilty conscience, and I hate that she feels anything close to responsible when it's all stupid Kai's fault."

"What about you," Stefan asked, happy she was opening up to him at all. "What are you supposed to be working on?"

"Bonnie tattled," Caroline snorted. "She told the counselor all about my mom and Elena, and how I've cleaned the house and the dorm so many times over. She swore everything had reflective surfaces, the traitor."

Stefan couldn't help a smile, reaching up to tuck a curl behind her ear. "Is she right?"

"No," Caroline said stubbornly. "But I am supposed to focus all this energy I have into something more productive toward my grieving process."

"Like what," Stefan asked, intrigued by the blonde's indignant expression.

"He recommended that I keep a journal," she said, rolling her eyes. "It will help me sort through the thoughts constantly bouncing around my head, and to come to terms with what happened and how to move forward."

"Call me biased," Stefan said, turning shy, "but I think that sounds like a great idea."

"Says the man who burned all of his journals," Caroline said dryly, remembering an amnesiac Stefan wanting a blank slate.

"It can be very therapeutic just to write it all down," he said honestly. Leaning in closer, he smiled as he whispered, "And who said I didn't start a new journal?"

Caroline perked up at that. The nosy busy-body within her desperately yearned at the idea of getting inside Stefan's head, and the existence of a journal made that feat a thousand times easier. Squeezing her eyes shut, she tried to stop planning a break-in of Stefan's private thoughts. "Mean," she accused.

"Maybe," Stefan admitted, "but it's true. I've needed the extra dose of introspection lately." He started to lead her back toward the building, intent on getting her to the room safely. "Did it help?"

"Did what help," Caroline asked, tripping slightly on the threshold to the residence hall. Vampire or not, a drunk Caroline was a klutzy one.

"The counseling," Stefan clarified, again placing a hand against the blonde's back as she stumbled down the hall. "Was it worth the visit?"

When they reached the girls' room, Caroline leaned against the door and paused. "I think so," she said, uncertain. "Even if journaling turns into a waste of time for me, I at least know little ways to help Bonnie now. I get why she feels what she feels, and I took all the counseling center's literature on coping mechanisms and grief management."

"Which I'm sure you'll have memorized by the end of the week," Stefan said, grinning at the small blush rising on her cheeks. "Will you be okay tonight," he asked quietly, not sure what he would do if she said no.

Caroline nodded slowly, the alcohol taking its toll on her fuzzy mind and begging her to fall in bed for sleep. "Thank you for walking me home," she whispered groggily, reaching for the gin bottles Stefan still held. "Good night."

He watched her push the door open and walk into the room, where she promptly dropped the bottles on her bed and wriggled herself into Bonnie's. Letting out a helpless sigh, Stefan made sure to lock the door from the inside before leaving the girls to their drunken sleep. Even if he was forced to keep his distance from their grieving process, he was glad they had each other.


	2. Alternatives

**Stefan is a little sensitive when Caroline is hanging out with everyone except him.**

* * *

When Stefan woke to find an empty house, he figured Damon had pulled another all-nighter at the Grill. He didn't have any new phone messages, which gave Stefan a bittersweet feeling. While it meant that Damon likely hadn't caused any major damage at the bar, it also meant he hadn't heard from Caroline in almost two days. Considering her habit of constant communication, he was justifiably concerned.

He debated whether or not to text her, just to check in. Stefan hated that he was so uncertain; but with everything up in the air since he said he'd wait, the last thing he wanted to do was crowd her.

Deciding to swing by her house after checking on Damon, he mentally reminded himself to grab Caroline some breakfast from the Grill. Plan in place, Stefan took a little extra time to get ready. Even with his promise to wait, he couldn't help but want to look his best around her.

* * *

"Hey, Matt," Stefan called as he walked into the Grill. "Damon around?"

"I stuck him in a cab with Alaric last night," Matt answered, looking back to his inventory clipboard. "They just about drank us dry of bourbon."

Stefan nodded. "Thanks, I just knew he wasn't home this morning," he said.

Matt still hadn't forgiven Stefan for his Ripper antics with Caroline, and the bartender's cold tone spoke volumes. Admittedly, Stefan hadn't gone out of his way to apologize; instead, he was focused on Damon and Caroline. Despite that, he found himself wanting to thaw their cold war. "How's police training going?"

Surprised at the change in conversation, let alone that the conversation was about him, Matt finally focused on Stefan. "Umm," he stammered. "It's fine. I'm set to graduate from the program in a couple of weeks."

"Don't tell Caroline," Stefan said, smiling slightly. "She'll have a party planned by the end of the day."

Unable to hide a yawn, Matt nodded in agreement. "She's already working on it," he replied. "She was asking for my opinion on the guest list, the color scheme, and all this stuff I know she probably has already picked out. I guess she just wanted me to feel like I had some say in the party."

"You talked to her," Stefan asked, inwardly berating himself for prying. It wasn't his business that Caroline was speaking to Matt but not to him. At the same time, he was rapt for Matt's answer.

Rolling his eyes, Matt scratched his neck. "Yeah, her car was making funny noises last night. She asked me to come over and check it out for her," he said.

"Oh," Stefan sighed, deflated. Caroline was so angry when she found out about his jaunt as a mechanic, he figured it would at least stick in her mind as a field he had some experience in. "It was alright, though, right?"

Matt nodded, and said, "It was just the fan belt, a little loose. I readjusted it, and she's taking it to be replaced at the dealer."

"Good, good," Stefan muttered, turning to leave. "I'll catch you later Matt."

"Are you sure you didn't want food or anything?"

"No," Stefan declined. "I just came to check on Damon, so thanks again." He walked out of the Grill, chickening out of his plans for breakfast with Caroline.

* * *

He had been reading his old witch research for any mention Heretics when his cell phone rang. Stefan tried to ignore the pang of disappointment when he saw who was calling. "Hey, Bonnie," he answered.

"Hi," she greeted. "Have you heard from Damon? He's not picking up."

Sighing, Stefan put down his book. "Matt saw him at the bar last night, said he and Ric were crashing at the apartment," he said. "They're probably still passed out."

"Figures," Bonnie snorted. "I'll swing by to check on them after I drop off Caroline at her house."

"You're with Caroline," Stefan asked, pained at the eagerness in his voice.

"Shopping, what else," Bonnie answered dryly. "After her no-humanity sad memories purge, her closet has been reduced to leather and cleavage. Plus retail therapy can only help her."

Stefan opened and closed his mouth, fighting the image Bonnie's explanation brought forth. "Oh, sure," he finally stammered. "Well, have fun."

He barely heard Bonnie's chirpy affirmative as Caroline's voice floated in the background. "Is this too short for class?" The call disconnected before Stefan could hear anything else, but the frustrating damage was done.

Turning back to his research, Stefan tried to take comfort in the fact that Caroline could rely on Bonnie for some normality. He just wished he could be included in the efforts.

* * *

Stefan walked into the boarding house, not expecting to find Enzo sitting on the couch. "What are you doing here?"

"Thanks for the welcome, mate," Enzo quipped, remaining where he sat. "Damon's changing, he wants to discuss Lily's offer."

"What offer," Stefan asked incredulously. Sure, he had kept himself busy throughout the day, but he also had a right to know about any offers his mother was making to the group.

Damon strolled into the room, quickly pouring himself a drink. "She wants us to leave her little family of freaks alone so they can drink the town dry," he answered. "Nothing wrong with a little wipeout of this town's population, right?"

"And what do we get in return for such a generous show of vampirism," Stefan asked, wary of the torn expression Enzo couldn't wipe off his face.

Sitting up straight, Enzo looked at Stefan seriously. "She won't kill Bonnie and Caroline," he said. "Though it's well within her power to do so, if her little exhibition when she ambushed my dinner with Caroline is anything to go by."

His entire body stiffening with tension, Stefan slowly cocked his head. "What," he asked tersely. He was about to throttle a silent Enzo for the story when his phone started ringing; he relaxed only slightly as Caroline's picture flashed on the screen. "Caroline?"

"You sound mad, so I'm guessing Enzo blabbed," she answered quickly. "I'm fine, I promise. But, um, can you…will you…"

"I'm on my way," Stefan assured her, flashing out of the boarding house and leaving Enzo and Damon behind.

* * *

He found her sitting on the Forbes' porch steps, her arms wrapped around her knees. "Are you okay? What happened," he asked frantically, crouching in front of her. There were no obvious wounds, and he couldn't smell blood; Stefan could tell, though, that the blonde was shaken.

"Damon had asked me to have dinner with Enzo," Caroline explained, eyes downcast. "With Enzo caught in the middle among the Salvatores, Damon thought I would be the best chance at sharing information without drawing the Heretics' attention."

Stefan nodded, biting down his irrational anger that Caroline could hang out with Enzo and not him. "But attention was drawn," he spurred.

A wry laugh escaped Caroline. "Apparently, Lily doesn't like to share her family, which Enzo accidentally signed up for," she said. "In that spirit of overbearing motherhood, she wanted to make clear their intention to stay in Mystic Falls."

"Even if it means destroying everyone who already lives here," Stefan finished, reaching to grasp her hands. "Enzo told me that part. I want to hear about the part where you can't meet my eyes and why you look so scared. What's wrong, Caroline?"

"She told me to take Bonnie and run," Caroline whispered, finally looking up. "That she can't hurt us if we're not here."

Rubbing her hands gently, Stefan frowned. "Did she hurt you?"

"It was kind of like that aneurysm thing Bonnie uses, but I felt it all throughout my body," she said, squeezing her eyes shut at the memory. "It felt as though acid was dissolving my veins, the fire so much worse than werewolf venom."

"Are you okay now," Stefan asked, worried. "Any lasting damage?"

"Just to my pride," Caroline sighed, smiling sadly. "But maybe I should take the threat to heart."

Stefan shook his head, moving up to sit next to her wrap his arm around her shoulder. "You don't have to go anywhere," he said. "But if you do, I'll come with you."

"Bonnie would like that," Caroline scoffed. "Third wheeling is the best."

"This may not be the time," Stefan hedged, "but that would make us a two-wheeler, wouldn't it?"

Caroline shoved him slightly, huffing out a distressed sound. "You know what I mean," she said.

"Yeah," Stefan said softly. "I know what you mean." He debated whether or not to be honest; he didn't want to add pressure to an already stressed situation. At the same time, he was tired of holding back. "I missed you today," he admitted. "It seemed like you've been hanging out with everyone but me."

Embarrassed, Caroline ducked her head. "It's not that I don't want to see you," she replied uneasily. "You're one of my best friends, and you know I…well, you know. But you're waiting, and I'm the one making you wait. The last thing I want to do is hurt you by being with you while not being with you." Caroline looked up, confusion furrowing her brow. "That doesn't make sense, does it?"

Stefan startled her with a full laugh, and he pulled her further into his side. "I get it, Caroline," he said. "I appreciate you wanting to protect me, but I'm fine 'being with you while not being with you.' At the risk of sounding cheesy, I just want to be with you, in any sense."

Moving closer, Caroline hugged Stefan tightly before standing up. "Come in," she said. "We can figure out how we're going to deal with Lily and her posse. Maybe fix some popcorn, I don't know."

Smiling, Stefan reached for her hand. "Sounds great."


	3. Ground Rules

**Stefan and Caroline are still trying to figure out this whole "not together" thing, so it's a good thing Caroline likes lists.**

* * *

Caroline sprinted to the Lockwood mansion, finally throwing open the door and listening for any sound of movement. "Stefan?!"

"I'm up here," he coughed from upstairs.

Following his ragged breathing to one of the guest rooms, Caroline found a bleeding Stefan leaning over the toilet in the ensuite bathroom. "What happened," she asked breathlessly, wincing when he coughed up blood. "Matt just said something about you being hurt and staying with him for a while."

"Lily decided the boarding house would be perfect for her family," Stefan groaned. "She didn't take too kindly to my saying 'no.' One of her heretics did something that feels like my insides are liquefying slowly. Hence, the blood."

Caroline rubbed his back and pushed back his hair, noting the sweaty sheen on his face. "I'll call Bonnie," she said, unsure of what else she could do. "She might have an idea on how to fix this."

"I already called Damon," Stefan said, gulping down fresh air. "Bonnie said the spell will work itself out by the end of the day. I ran into Matt on my way to," Stefan paused, not wanting to admit he had been heading to the Forbes house. "On my way to town," he finished, "he offered me a room here."

Ignoring the hurt she felt at being the last to know, Caroline quickly grabbed a fresh washcloth to run under cool water. If playing nurse was the only help she could offer, then that was what she would do. Over the next couple of hours, she could tell Stefan was feeling better as he was finally able to drink blood and stop coughing from his seat on the bed. "Are you okay," she asked, packing up the towels and blood clothes to wash.

"I think so," Stefan answered, looking at her with that annoyingly warm expression. "Thanks for coming over."

"You're welcome," she said softly, trying to fight down her negative thoughts.

Stefan could see the tension in her posture, though, as well as her refusal to meet his gaze. "What's wrong, Caroline?"

She glanced up at him, teeth tugging at her lip in indecision. Sighing in resignation, she asked, "Why didn't you call me?"

While Stefan was looking for the right words to explain, Caroline cut in. "You called Damon and talked to Bonnie, but I had to find out from Matt that you were hurt," she said sadly. "You know I would have helped you, dropped everything and come to you. But you chose to hide here, and I can't help but think that it's my fault you're hiding from me."

Stefan reached for her hands, throwing the pile of cloth onto the floor. "I'm not hiding from you," he insisted. "I'm just trying to give you the space you asked me for, and calling you every time I need you wouldn't do you justice. A big part of that is because I always need you, and that wouldn't be fair."

"What's not fair," Caroline replied, "is me not knowing you're really hurt because you don't feel like you can call me. That's not what I wanted to happen when you said you'd wait."

"Then what do you want to happen," Stefan asked, softly stroking her hands. "Let's set some guidelines for how this should work."

"Guidelines," Caroline asked, perking up. "Like rules?"

With a goofy grin, Stefan nodded. "Rules for waiting," he proposed. "Until Stefan and Caroline can get their shit together and figure out how to move on, they hereby agree to these rules during the waiting period."

Caroline giggled, finally smiling. "Okay, we each state different rules, but we can negotiate terms and exercise veto power. Deal?"

"Deal," Stefan affirmed. "Ladies first."

Rolling her eyes, Caroline sat next to him on the bed. "If we're hurt or sad, we have to be the ones to tell each other. No third parties unless it's a complete emergency," she said, still smarting that she heard about this latest episode from Matt.

"Agreed. We should have daily check-ins. If, for some reason, we don't want to see each other, a phone call will suffice."

"With the words 'I don't want to see you right now' and an explanation if available," Caroline added, remembering how Stefan dodged her calls, then she dodged his, earlier in the year. When Stefan nodded, she continued, "We need to keep our options open. If there's another romantic opportunity we're interested in, we should feel available to act on it."

Stefan stared at her, not liking this rule. "Can I ask why you think this would be necessary," he asked, a touch of fear in his voice. He didn't want to accept the possibility he had already lost her.

Embarrassed, Caroline stared at her knees. "I don't want you to feel trapped," she answered, trying to keep her voice smooth. "I don't know how long it will be until I'm ready, and I don't want you to keep waiting out of some weird sense of loyalty to our relationship."

"It's not a weird sense of loyalty," Stefan said, relaxing enough to laugh. "I know what I'm signing up for, Caroline."

"You say that now," Caroline retorted, "but weeks might turn to months, maybe even years. I don't want your pity."

Stefan squeezed her hands, forcing her to look up at him. "It's not pity, Caroline," he promised. "But if it will make you feel better, I'll agree to the rule."

Smiling at the honesty in his eyes, Caroline sighed. "Okay. Your turn."

* * *

Setting new rules had become a sort of game for them, a way to pass the time until Caroline was ready for more.

* * *

Sometimes, it would be a light-hearted moment meant for smiles and laughter.

"I don't think you can mandate hand-holding, Stefan."

"I can if you agree to it, right?"

* * *

Other times, they angrily used the rules against each other.

"Caroline, what happened to 'taking each other's opinions into consideration,' especially in completely preventable, and lethal, circumstances?"

"I did take your opinion into consideration, but I also had to do what was right. I considered the options, and I went with the one I needed to do."

"You didn't need to sneak into the boarding house!"

"Bonnie needed some of the books, and Damon offered to keep the Heretics occupied long enough to give me an opportunity. I had Enzo with me in case things went south, so I don't know why you're so upset."

"Because you completely ignored my wishes to do something that could have gotten you killed."

"And I'm alive, Bonnie has her books, the Heretics are none the wiser. I took a risk, and I won, Stefan. I won't apologize for that, especially since I didn't actually break a rule."

* * *

In rare times, the rules were a comfort.

"I really want to kiss you," Stefan whispered as he lay in bed with Caroline, her earlier nightmares providing the domestic scene upon waking.

"Rule 7," she sleepily whispered back. "Kisses are only allowed when one set of lips is involved in the previously approved regions."

Smiling, Stefan craned his neck to plant a kiss at her temple. "Alright," he said, lightly stroking her back. "Just know that the rules are the only thing keeping me from kissing you right now."

The shy grin Caroline couldn't hide in her pillow was all Stefan needed in that moment, anyway.

* * *

"What's the rule for this," Stefan asked, eyes wide as Caroline leaned back from their kiss. He had just been wishing her goodnight on her porch, when she interrupted him with her lips on his.

"Rule 4, either party may terminate the rules when they're tired of waiting," Caroline answered, internally cheering at the flummoxed expression on Stefan's face. "Sorry, did you want to keep waiting?"

Her giggle turned to a shriek when Stefan lifted her over his shoulder to carry her into the house.


	4. Fur and Self-Loathing

**Hearing that Caroline the neat-freak adopted a dog confused Stefan. Seeing that she, in fact, found herself caring for two dogs, three cats, a chinchilla and a fish absolutely stymied him.**

* * *

Shaking his head, Matt walked into the Lockwood mansion with an expression of utter bemusement. He prayed his temporary roommate was home as he called out, "Stefan?"

"Hey, Matt," the vampire answered from the sitting room. The open journal in front of him was frustratingly blank, and Stefan was glad for any distraction Matt could offer. Seeing the worry on the blond's face, though, promised more trouble than mere distraction. "What's wrong?"

"I just saw Caroline walking a dog about three times her size," Matt said. "Is this a thing you guys do, keep a pet for an in-home blood bag?"

Stefan tried not to feel insulted, being well aware of Matt's sensitivities to vampires. "No," he said calmly. "Maybe she was walking it for someone." Though he had tried to give Caroline the space she needed, Stefan had also noticed her taking on more errands and favors for the good people of Mystic Falls. He had just chalked it up to her searching for good karma.

"I didn't recognize the dog from the neighborhood," Matt rebutted. "I waved her over, but she blatantly ignored me. That normally means she's hiding something, which normally means she's embarrassed." Caroline had always been an open book with her friends, so Matt was concerned that she would actively shut him out.

Already grabbing his keys from the front table, Stefan nodded. "I'll go check on her, see if there's something going on," he promised.

* * *

As Stefan approached the Forbes house, he felt the nerves that always came just before seeing Caroline. The nerves were quickly replaced by confusion when he heard barking coming from inside the house. "Caroline," he called, letting himself in.

"Stefan," she answered, coming down the stairs with her arms full of a large, orange cat. "Hi. What are you doing here?"

"Matt saw you with a dog, so I thought I'd check in. Why do you have a cat?"

Caroline struggled to stammer out an answer, only to have another cat race by her feet, followed by a yapping chihuahua.

Squinting, Stefan took in the little dog that had abandoned its chase to nip at his shoes. "I thought Matt said it was a big dog," he said slowly, turning at the sudden bellows coming from the kitchen."

"Yeah," Caroline answered, uncertainty plain on her face. "Fluffy can't have free rein of the house, he's just too big for me to trust around the nice furniture. That's Killer," she said, pointing to the tiny dog. Shrugging to indicate the orange cat, she continued, "This is Ginger, and Roscoe over there is fond of pestering Killer into chasing him."

"Gorgeous," Enzo's voice floated from a room upstairs, "am I supposed to keep Millicent from achieving her goal of eating Tom and Swish, or allow her to fulfill her primal hunter role?"

"Bring Millicent down with you," Caroline called. "She can go in the kitchen with Fluffy, since they lived together and all."

"Caroline," Stefan almost yelled, at a loss as to why Caroline's house was flooded with animals and Enzo. "What is going on?"

"Umm," Caroline hummed. "Well, it's only temporary, I swear."

Stefan just stared, waiting for the rest of the story.

Enzo, however, couldn't resist a disruption. "Oh, hello Stefan," he said smugly as he carried a third cat down the stairs. "Come to assist your damsel with her makeshift shelter?"

"Her what," Stefan asked, incredulous at the sight before him. "Caroline, where did all these animals come from?"

Handing off the orange cat to Enzo, Caroline pushed the older vampire toward the kitchen. "Go lock them in with Fluffy, and try to limit the damage," she ordered. As Enzo complied, Caroline turned back to Stefan with squared shoulders. "We killed people."

Head cocked to the side, Stefan's gaze softened. "I know," he said.

"We killed people," Caroline repeated, "and we left more than just their families feeling the loss. I visited parents, roommates, siblings, and I asked if there was anything I could do to help. Pets were a burden, but they didn't have the heart to give them away, so I'm doing it. I'm finding homes for all of them."

"Caroline, how did-"

"I compelled the families to forget me and to think the pets were adopted by friends," she quickly answered. "I can't do anything to bring back our victims, but I can give their pets good homes. It's the least I can do."

Stefan nodded, sticking his hands in his pockets so they didn't reach for hers. "Okay," he said. "What can I do?"

* * *

They worked for days.

Caroline focused on applicants from local shelters, thoroughly matching animal to potential owner. Stefan took over feedings and exercise, while Enzo just riled the pets up and played with them like a kid. The men were tense around each other, still not having warmed to the other's presence in Caroline's house. The blonde just glared at whichever vampire was being the pettiest at the time.

"Can you guys shut up," she snapped one afternoon as Stefan actually poked Enzo in the chest. "I'm not holding the phone up to my ear for decoration, I'm trying to set up a time for this lovely woman to come meet Fluffy. He's a big ball of cuddly destruction, and I need to give him his best chance, which I can't do with two idiots having a pissing contest in the background."

Fluffy and Killer were fairly easy to send home with new owners, the dogs being friendly in nature. Millicent was still a smaller cat, and the family that took her home looked forward to watching her grow. Roscoe the cat and Tom the chinchilla were previous roommates, and Caroline didn't want to split them up. Luckily, an older couple was happy to take them both.

"That leaves Ginger and Swish," Enzo said, carrying Swish in his fishbowl. The betta was a bit alarmed at the motion, his fins flashing dangerously. "You've been at this for nearly a week, Gorgeous. How about I take this little guy off your hands?"

The blonde looked at Enzo appraisingly. "You'll take care of him," she asked. "Get him a real tank? Clean it properly? Love him dearly?"

Rolling his eyes, Enzo nodded. "Of course," he promised, hand over his heart.

"And I get visiting rights in case I need a dose of righteous guilt?"

"No," Stefan interrupted, coming out of the kitchen. "Caroline, you did this to help deal with your guilt. It's not supposed to hang over your head forever."

Caroline snorted in derision. "Of course it is," she protested before waving Enzo off. "Take Swish and protect him from the world."

Giving a surprisingly sincere smile, Enzo leaned down to kiss her cheek. "Thanks, Gorgeous." His smile turned to a smirk as he passed a glowering Stefan, making his final exit.

"You let him bother you too much," Caroline said with a soft smile. "And he's rescuing Swish, so we should be grateful to him."

Stefan shook his head at her "Caroline logic," but moved to sit next to her on the couch. "I don't think I can ever be grateful to Enzo, or happy that he's so...close to you," Stefan said mulishly. "But I'm glad you have a friend to support you, even if it's Enzo."

"Does that mean you won't support me in finding a home for Ginger," she asked, reaching for the orange cat milling about her feet. Caroline cuddled with the cat, the content easily visible in her expression.

"I don't know," Stefan said gently, rubbing behind Ginger's ear. "It seems like she's pretty happy here, and I think you liked having all the animals around."

"I did," Caroline whispered conspiratorially. "It was very therapeutic, but I don't know if I can take care of another living thing if I can't even deal with my own crap."

Stefan smiled, reaching for the cat. When Caroline cradled her closer instead, his smile grew. "Maybe Ginger will help you deal," he posed. "And I'll be here, too."

"Yeah," Caroline asked, tentatively meeting his eyes. "You don't think I'm crazy?"

"I think," Stefan said, tucking a blonde curl behind her ear, "I think you're taking each day as it comes, and that you have all this love in your heart that you don't know how to give anymore. And I think Ginger could use some of that love." Stefan stroked her hair, not wanting to continue his speech on how Caroline could use her love. He could only hope that she figured that part out herself.

"Okay," she said, hugging the cat a bit tighter, though her eyes never left Stefan's. "Welcome home, Ginger."


	5. Girl Talk

**Change is a weird thing, but it's a lot easier with your best friend to serve as your sounding board.**

* * *

Grabbing the poster she had made for Bonnie's homecoming, Caroline finally felt ready to leave the house. She checked the time on her phone before opening the door, only to find Stefan poised to knock. "What are you doing here," Caroline asked a little breathlessly. She had not actively avoided Stefan all summer, but she definitely tried to limit the awkward situations when she could. Home visits were still too intimate for their relationship status, or lack thereof.

"Bonnie called," Stefan explained. "She asked me to pick them up from the airport, something about Damon and Alaric betting who could drink the plane dry of alcohol."

Caroline's face scrunched in annoyance and confusion. "But she asked me to meet them when they landed," she said with a pout. Squeezing her eyes shut, the blonde realized what her friend had been trying to do. "Which is why she also called you, so we'd be stuck in the car for half an hour together. I can't believe she wou- Wait, if you're picking them up, why are you here?"

Sheepishly, Stefan shrugged. "I thought you'd want to see Bonnie as soon as you could," he answered, nodding toward the sign in her hands. "Clearly, I'm not too far off."

"Fine," Caroline groaned, locking up behind her. "But we can't fit everyone in my car."

"I've got Alaric's SUV," Stefan said with a wry grin. "Come on, I'll let you pick the music."

Rolling her eyes, Caroline managed to refrain from stomping petulantly toward the passenger side. Barely.

* * *

"Bonnie!"

Looking around the baggage claim area, Bonnie followed the voice to a familiar head of blonde curls. She dragged her luggage behind her toward a bouncing Caroline and a bright "Welcome home, Bonnie" sign. Noticing an amused Stefan behind her, Bonnie tried to hide a mischievous grin at her plotting, despite her success in getting her friends in the same room. "Hey," she called, wrapping Caroline in a hug. "I missed you guys."

Caroline tightened her hold. "I missed you so much, Bonnie," she whispered. Leaning back, the blonde narrowed her eyes. "You're alright? They didn't destroy your liver while drinking all the way through Europe?"

Laughing, Bonnie shook her head. "I'm fine, Care," she insisted.

"Good," Caroline beamed. "Then I don't feel bad about all the cocktails I intend to mix for a girls' night."

"Hold up, Blondie," Damon broke in. Caroline had been so focused on Bonnie that she didn't acknowledge Damon and Alaric greeting Stefan before. "Bonnie needs to get her room at the Boarding House situated before you kidnap her to Casa de Forbes."

Stunned at Damon's declaration, Caroline turned to Stefan. "You haven't told him yet?"

Damon stared at his brother, who shifted uncomfortably on his feet. "Told me what," Damon asked, suspicious of Stefan's reticence.

"I'm actually staying with Matt," Stefan admitted. "Lily made an offer I wasn't in a position to refuse."

"You're telling me," Damon accused in a low voice, "that a bunch of freaky witchpires took over my house?"

"They took over the town," Caroline clarified. As unsure as she was about their relationship, Caroline would defend Stefan over Damon any day. She remembered that awful urge she had to offer her home to Stefan when he told her about Lily's ultimatum, as well as the guilty relief she felt when Matt opened the Lockwood Mansion to him. "It was lose your house or lose your brother. Matt can take you and Alaric in, too. But I thought Bonnie might want to stay with me." She directed the last part to her friend, hoping that she wouldn't be left all alone.

Bonnie hesitated, looking toward Damon. Too used to spending all of her time with him, she couldn't admit to her desired living arrangements in public. When Caroline was surprised, she got loud. "A girls' night sounds good, Care," Bonnie hedged. "We can work out the details later."

Sighing in delighted acceptance, Caroline took Bonnie's arm to lead her out of the airport. "The boys can get the bags," she whispered conspiratorially. She glanced back to Stefan, who was dutifully picking up Bonnie's luggage. She swallowed, hoping to quash the twinge of guilt she felt at keeping him waiting. "Tonight, you're mine."

* * *

The girls had settled in the Forbes house for the night, and they made themselves comfortable on the couch. With a bottle of wine and a bowl of buttered popcorn between them, Bonnie finally asked the question that had her on edge all day. "How are things with Stefan?"

Glaring at the other girl, Caroline scoffed into her wineglass. "Things are perfectly friendly, and we don't need you manipulating us into spending time together," she answered. "That was a sly trick you pulled today, Miss Bennett."

"Well," Bonnie said, eyes wide in innocence. "Damon may have mentioned how extra broody Stefan has been on the phone, and I know you've been keeping yourself extra busy with Mystic Falls antics to avoid seeing him. I think that means you do need me manipulating you into spending time with the guy you...you know." Bonnie wasn't certain on what feelings may or may not have been admitted, though she could clearly see how much Stefan and Caroline cared about each other. "What are you still waiting for?"

"I don't know," Caroline sighed. "For me to stop feeling so guilty?"

"Guilty," Bonnie asked, hoping for clarification.

"I feel guilty. I put my feelings for Stefan in the forefront, and I almost missed my mom's final moments. I stressed over what I mean to him, and I ended up flipping the humanity switch. I let everyone else bully him into seeing me as a romantic prospect. How do I let him comfort me in the aftermath of all my terrible decisions? It just seems wrong." Caroline deflated after her speech, a sad resignation taking over her entire being.

Bonnie frowned. "So, you're hurting yourself and Stefan for the sake of punishing yourself? Do you hear how crazy that sounds?"

"About as crazy as keeping Damon from flying off the handle now that Elena's gone," Caroline shot back.

"That's different, and you know it," Bonnie bristled. "He could have let me die, and then Elena would still be here."

"Elena will be back," Caroline replied softly. "You don't owe Damon for doing the right thing in saving you."

Smiling sadly, Bonnie shook her head. "Maybe not, but I feel like I have to help him. I can't lose him," she said plainly.

Caroline didn't understand Bonnie's connection with Damon, but she couldn't bring herself to holding it against her friend either. "I guess we'll just have to deal with our Salvatores in our own way, then," she announced. "Until then, let's watch so many romantic comedies that we forget how crazy our life really is."

Laughing, Bonnie leaned into the blonde. "Deal," she agreed.


End file.
